Archive | Statements

Banjul, 17/05/2018 – The Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (IHRDA), international women’s rights organisation Equality Now, and various human rights organizations in Sierra Leone have filed a legal case at the Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS Court) in Abuja, Nigeria, seeking to lift the ban on pregnant school girls […]

Banjul, 17 May 2018: The Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States (the ECOWAS Court) 17 May 2018 handed-down its judgment in favour of the complainants in suit noECW/CCJ/APP/26/15WARDC & IHRDA (on behalf of Mary Sunday) v Nigeria. The case was filed before the ECOWAS Court in August 2015 by the […]

Banjul, 11 May 2018: The African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (AfCHPR) today 11 May 2018 handed-down its judgment in favour of the complainants in “Application 046/2016 – APDF & IHRDA v. Republic of Mali”, case alleging inconsistency of certain provisions of the Malian Persons and Family Code with provisions of the Protocol to […]

Banjul, 7 May 2018 “African States should seize the opportunity to set clear standards on the recognition of nationality and the eradication of statelessness”, urged a coaltion of African civil society organisations working on the issue. Member States are meeting in Abidjan, 7-11 May 2018, to discuss the text of a draft protocol to the […]

Nouakchott, Mauritania – 26 April 2018 Your Excellency the Honorable Chairperson of ACHPR Honorable Commissioners, Ladies and Gentlemen, On 28 September 2009, the leaders of the “Forces Vives” summoned their militants to the Stadium in order to express their disapproval of Mr.Moussa Dadis Camara’s candidacy for the January 2010 Presidential Election. That bloody Monday and […]

Bamako, Mali – 25 April 2018 In 2014, IHRDA had filed a case against Malawi before the ACERWC, challenging the definition of child in Malawi’s Constitution. At that time, Section 23(6) of the Constitution of Malawi defined a child as a person under the age of sixteen (16), in contravention of article 2 of the […]

24 April 2018 Madam Chairperson, Members of the Committee, Distinguished Participants; We wish to bring to the attention of the Committee our concern on the issue of child trafficking notably in Cameroon and in many African countries. Child Kidnapping and Trafficking has increased in Central African states especially Cameroon over the past few years. Many […]

Banjul, 8 March 2018 The commemoration of the International Day of the Woman this year focuses on activism for the transformation of the lives of women. This year’s theme brings to the spotlight the fact that women, in both rural and urban environments, are increasingly active in every sphere of production and service delivery in […]

Banjul, 9 February 2018 Malawi has submitted its fourth progress report to the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC) on implementation of the amicable settlement agreement reached in October 2016 between IHRDA and Malawi in the Malawi children’s case before the ACERWC. According to the report dated 7 […]

Banjul, 1 February 2018 IHRDA condemns the unlawful arrest and detention of Political Scientist, Dr Ismaila Ceesay, by The Gambia Police on 31 January 2018 for expressing an opinion on national security, published in The Voice Newspaper. According to the paper, Dr Ceesay had suggested in an interview that it was important for the President […]